This invention relates to cartoning apparatus and more particularly to apparatus and methods for orienting items in a conveyor bucket for intermittent or continuous cartoning. This invention thus also relates to the insertion of inserts, along with products, into cartons.
It is known to load conveyor buckets with one or more items and to push such items from the buckets into a carton, either continuously or intermittently. The orientation of the items, whether they are products, inserts, partitions or other items, in the buckets is a concern in any cartoning process or apparatus. The proper or desired item orientation drives the parameters and structure of the processes and apparatus used to fill the buckets, as well as the actual bucket design. These processes and apparatus can limit the throughput speeds at which cartoning can be accomplished. They can also restrict the efficiencies of the overall loading and cartoning operation.
Thus, the industry has devoted attention to feeding items, whether products, inserts or other things, into buckets in the appropriate attitude or orientation for loading from the bucket into a carton. Feeders are designed for introducing items to the buckets in proper orientation since further handling is typically limited to transferring the items into a carton. Thus, the feeders are generally of particular design as a function of the item and its desired feeding orientation, as well as a function of the bucket design for receiving the item, and the dynamic motion of the bucket as it is supplied with the item (i.e. in continuous or intermittent motion).
In a specific example, it is known to combine a product and an insert in a product bucket and thereafter push them into a carton. A series of buckets on a bucket conveyor are used to receive the products and inserts in a continuous operation, for example, and to carry them to a loading station. Typically, and for example only, a product such as a medicine or personal care product is combined with a multiple leaf informational insert and these are pushed into a carton for packaging. Such inserts may take the form of a rectilinear leaflet or brochure of single or multiple sheets, a folded brochure, a booklet or a promotional or related product, such as a packet of rubber gloves, applicators, or the like.
In the past, such buckets were comprised of upstanding forward and rearward walls and a fixed intermediate wall, closely proximate the rear bucket wall to define a slot-like area for receiving the insert. An insert feeder stripped the insert from a magazine feed and moved it toward the bucket from above, orienting it in a vertical position and dropping or inserting it into the mouth of the moving slot-like area as the bucket appeared under the discharge position of the feeder. When used in an intermittent motion apparatus, the bucket and target slot stopped under the feeder discharge. When used in a continuous motion apparatus, the insert is introduced into the moving slot.
In either case, the slot mouth could be hard to hit and required close attention to indexing. While the slot could be made wider to provide a larger transverse target in the machine direction, making the slot easier to xe2x80x9chitxe2x80x9d with the insert, this unduly lengthened the bucket, and did not position the insert as close to the product as desired for cartoning.
Accordingly, it is appreciated that the slot-like area had a relatively narrow transverse mouth which was a hard target for the vertical feeder to hit, particularly at the continuous bucket speeds typically desired in such a cartoning operation. Even where the operation was intermittent and the bucket stopped for loading, the narrow mouth required a more precise feed operation for the insert.
This also required the use of a vertical feeder which introduced more complexity into the feeding of inserts, more easily accomplished in a horizontal operation. Yet the horizontal feeding of an insert would bridge the mouth of the slot-like insert receiving area of the bucket and could not be handled.
Moreover, once a first insert was introduced into the slot-like area in the bucket, it was very difficult, if not impossible, to introduce a second insert into the same area when two or more separate inserts were desired. The second vertically moving insert would hit the first, resulting in erratic if not impossible feeding.
Accordingly, it has been one objective of the invention to provide improved methods and apparatus for positionally orienting items for cartoning.
Another objective of the invention has been to provide methods and apparatus for orienting items fed to a conveyor from feeders feeding the items in a position different from that required of the item on the conveyor for cartoning.
It has been a further objective of this invention to provide an improved method for orienting an item in an upright or generally vertical position in a product bucket.
A further objective of the invention has been to provide improved apparatus for handling products and inserts for packaging.
A further objective of the invention has been to provide improved methods and apparatus for combining products and inserts in a product bucket for cartoning.
A further objective of the invention has been to provide improved methods and apparatus for producing vertically oriented inserts in product buckets while using horizontal insert transfers or feeders to the buckets.
To these ends, the invention contemplates in a preferred embodiment an improved bucket and method for combining one or more items in a bucket with one or more other items where one or more of the items is reoriented after its deposit in the bucket.
In particular, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, an insert is combined with a product where the insert is oriented in a generally upright attitude, even though first fed to the bucket in a generally laid down or horizontal attitude. This is accomplished by the us of a movable member in the bucket, preferably between its forward and rearward walls, although it could be used with a bucket in any configuration. An insert is introduced into the bucket in a laid-down, inclined or generally horizontal orientation. The movable member is then activated to engage and move the insert into or toward generally upright orientation. In a preferred embodiment, the insert is lifted in an upright attitude. Thereafter, product is loaded into the bucket and both product and upright insert are pushed laterally into a carton. One or more products in the bucket can be combined with one or more inserts in the bucket for cartoning. Where two or more inserts are desired, additional insert feeders are used to deposit additional inserts in the bucket before the movable member is operated to orient the inserts into or toward a generally upright orientation.
In a preferred embodiment, the movable member is a pivoted wall which is rotated to lift the inserts into an upright position. In so moving, the pivoted walls forms a narrow insert pocket with a wall of the bucket. Product is then loaded between the now upright movable wall and another bucket wall.
In this configuration, and as a more detailed aspect of this embodiment, an extended end of the movable wall, once the wall is erected, is used to pick off a product from a product infeed.
The pivoted wall is preferably spring loaded into its upright configuration. A cam beneath the conveyor carrying the buckets is engaged by a cam follower operably attached to the pivoted wall. The cam then pivots the wall down toward the floor of the bucket as the bucket moves over the cam so horizontally oriented inserts can be laid in the bucket. Thereafter, the cam gradually releases the follower and the spring-loaded wall rotates to its erected position, gently lifting or rotating the inserts to vertical or upright positions, depending on cam declination and bucket speed in the machine direction.
When more than one insert is desired, multiple inserts are laid into the bucket before the wall is pivoted.
Of course, the movable wall can be spring loaded to the down position and cammed upwardly. Alternately, dual or positive cams can be used to control wall motion in both directions, or any other wall moving apparatus, device or control can be used consistent with the invention.
The pivoted wall can be provided with slots for pass through of sensing beams when no insert has been deposited, to prevent false sensing for control and confirmation purposes. When no insert is deposited, there is no beam reflection. When an insert is laid on the wall, it reflects the beam indicating an insert is in place.
In this way, horizontal or inclined inserts can be fed to the buckets where they lay until the movable wall lifts them upright. The benefits of final vertical insert orientation are obtained but without the need to use more complex vertical feeders to produce upright inserts in the buckets.
This also facilitates positive insert feeds at high speeds of present day cartoners. The target for the insert is now the wide bucket floor between its end walls as opposed to prior systems presenting only narrow-mouthed transverse channels or slots for vertical inserts. The so-called insert xe2x80x9cslotxe2x80x9d is formed only after the insert is introduced to the bucket. The insert xe2x80x9ctargetxe2x80x9d is much wider as it is the target duration under the discharge of the insert feeder. Tolerances are expanded and faster speeds are clearly much more reachable. Also, loading two inserts is very easy whereas known past systems render dual insert feeding very difficult if not impossible.
In a broader aspect of the invention, the movable wall can be used to reposition or orient either products or inserts in a bucket.
Moreover, the movable wall can be used outside a fixed bucket wall, or as a stationary wall or together with one or more additional movable walls depending on the particular desired application.